Collar burster and expander



June 12, 1923.

J. A. wooDs COLLAR BURSTER AND EXPANDER Filed Sept. 1922 A TTORNEYS Dn m N s W m m A J Patented Jam-.12, 1923o nuns A. wears, on wrcm'm, Kansas.

COLLAR BUBSTER AND EXPANDER.

Application filed September 2, 1922, Serial 170. 585,976.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, James A. Woops, a citizen of the United States, and a resldent of Wichita, in the county of Sedgw1ck and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Collar Bursters and Expanders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to well drilling equipment and more particularly to a collar burster.

- Briefly stated an important ob ect of thls invention is to provide a collar burster having simple means whereby the same may be introduced into a well casing and securely and positively engaged with a collar to be expanded, spread, or burst so that that section of casing immediately below the collar to be burst may be parted from the sections of easing above. I

Further the invention forming the sub ject matter of this application aims to provide a-collar burster. in which a pair of Spreaders or bursting pawls is employed, the attaching portions or ears of the pawls being flatly engaged with each other so as to relieve the pivots which support the pawls of excessive strain and so that the lateral stress incident to bursting the collar is borne principally if not entirely by the pawls themselves.

A further object is to provide a collar burster or expander wherein simple means is provided to allow the pawls" to assume their inoperative positions subsequent to bracing the collar so that the device may be conveniently withdrawn from the well without damaging the sections of the casing above the previously burst collar. A. further object is to provide a collar burster for wells which is of highly simplified construction, durable in use and cheap to manufacture.

Other ob'ects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this application and in which like numerals are employed to designate like partsthroughout t e same Figure -1 is a side elevatlon of the 1mproved collar burster or expander, parts being broken away to illustrate the several pawls and the means to support the same.

Figure 2 is a sideelevation of the improved collar burster, the view being taken at right angles to Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional viewtaken on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of a cap or detachable section which is positioned in one side of the body in the manner illusti ated in Fi ure 2. 1

nthe drawing wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention the numeral 5 designates a body having its rear portion formed with a slightly tapered. attaching stem 6 by means of which the same may be connected to a drill stem and as illustrated in Fi ures 1 and 2 the opposite sides of the b0 V may be formed with flattened faces 7 with which the jaws of a wrench may be engaged when it is desired to either attach or detach the device.

In carrying out the invention the forward portion of the body 5 is provided with a transversely extending opening 10 which extends out through opposite sides of the body and receives a pair of pawls 11. It will be observed that the inner. longitudinal ed es of the pawls 11 flatly contact with the 1nclined walls or edges of the depending member 12 arranged within the opening 10 and the member 12 thereby limits the inward movement of the pawls so that durin the descent of the devicethe pawls will e in position to swing outwardly into engagement with the collar to be burst,

During the descent of the device the roll- 90 ers it of the awls 11 rotatably contact with the wall of t e well casing and thereby hold the pawls in their inoperativeositions and it might be stated that the r01 ers 14 reduce friction to a minimum.

The pawls 11 are formed with attaching barrels or cars 16v which are rotatably mounted on the cylindrical heads 18 of the pivot bolts 19, the said pivot bolts '19 beingtightly threaded into sockets 21 provid- 10o ed in the body for that purpose. Figure 2 illustrated that one side of the body is formed with an opening 20 for the reception of a cap or cover member 24 which ex- 4 tends over the Y pawls 11. The closure or 105 cap 24 is formed with cylindrical openin 25 for the reception of the cylindrical head:

18 and with reference to Figure 3 it will be seen that the-heads 18' do not project beyond the periphery of the body and thereno the anchored section.

. laterally the well casing the fore they do not retard the descent of the device.

Attention is directed to the fact that a dove tail connection is provided between the detachable section 24 and the body and this dove tail connection cooperates with the cylindrical heads 18 in holding the detachable section in position. In other words the doveetail connection between the detachable section 2 1 and the-body 5 holds the ,det achable away from the body while the cylindrical heads 18 hold the detachable section against sliding movement in the openin within which it is normally located.

owever, when assembling the device the bolts 19 are, of course, not in place and the detachable portion 24 is also detached. The pawls 11 are first placed in position and the detachable section 24; is then positioned within the opening 20. The pivot bolts 19 are now extended through the openings 25, the ears 16 and into the sockets 21 whereby the pawls 11 are rot-atably supported. It is thus seen that when the bolts 19 are positioned as illustrated in Figure 3 they not only rotatably support the pawls .11, but also hold the detachable section against'displacement.

When preparing the device for descent in pawls 11 are swung upwardly into theV-shaped branches 40 of the opening 10 and the device may now be lowered as previously stated. 14.- hold the awls in their inoperative positions and wiien the desired collar or point is reached a slight upward pull is exerted on the device so that the pawls 11 will assume their operative positions. That is to say the outer portions of the pawls will be positioned between sections of casing and within the collar. Continued upward movement of the device will burst the collar or expand the same so that it is released from threaded engagement with the section of easing immediately below. It is believed to be well understood that the casing is sometimes frozen or anchored in the lower portion of a well so that it cannot be conveniently removed and thus this invention enables the sections which are not anchored to be separated from When those sections of the casing above the anchored section have been removed the anchored section maybe drilled up and removed in small pieces or otherwise treated.

When the pawls 11 swing outwardly the fiat outer ends 50.0f the same will flatly engage the collar between the threaded ends of the sections and when the device is withdrawn the fiat edges 51 are engaged with the collar. When the desired operation has been performed the outer terminal portions of thepawls drop into the branches 54 of the opening 10 and consequently the device section against movement The rollers the threaded ends of the may be conveniently removed. Attention is directed to the fact that the rollers 14 are not located at the ends of the pawls but at the sides of the same and consequently these pawlsdo not in any way interfere with the bursting operation.

It will be seen with particular reference to Figures 1 and 3 that the rounded inner ends or barrels 16 of the pawls 11 have rolling contact with each other so that the strain on the pawls incident to expanding the collar is borne solely by the pawls. By thus causing the pawls to entirely bear the strain of the expanding operation the pivot pins 8 will not be bent or mutilated and the device will be capable of use for a' long period.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken merely as a preferred example of the same and that such minor changes in arrangement be made as will remain within the spirit of the invention and the scope of what is claimed.

1. A collar expander for wells comprising a body having an opening extending out through opposite sides thereof, pivot pins extending through said opening, and pawls rotatably mounted on said pivot pins and having their rear ends in rolling contact with each other whereby to relieve the pivot pins of the strain incident to the engagement of the pawls with a collar to be expanded.

2. A collar expander for wells comprising a body having an opening extending out through opposite sides thereof, spaced pivot pins extending through said opening, and pawls rotatably mounted on said pivot pins and having rollers the inner portions of said pawls having rollin contact with each other whereby the strain incident to expanding a collar is borne solely by the pawls.

3. A collar expander for wells comprising a body, and pawls pivoted thereto and having their innerportions in rolling contact with each other whereby the strain incident to the engagement of the pawls with the collar to be expanded is borne entirely by the,pawls.

' 4. A collar expander for wells comprising a body having an opening, pawls pivotally supported within the opening andhaving their inner portions in rolling contact with each other whereby the entire strain on the pawls incident to expanding a collar is borne solely by the pawls, there being means within the opening to limit the inward swinging movement of the pawls.

5. A collar expander for wells comprising a body having an openingextending out through opposite sides thereof, pivot pins exten ing through said opening, and pawls rotatably mounted on said pivot pins and and construction of parts may I having rollers, said body being provided at one side ofdsaid rollers with a detaclliagle portion, sai ivot pins on sai etachable porti n whereby td i h dl the same against endwise movement.

6. A collar expander comprising a body havi an opening extending out through opposite sides thereof, pawls arranged Within said opening and having their outer ends flat for engaging a collar to be expanded, antifriction means carried by the outer edges of said rollers and adapted for engaging the interior of a well casing, there being a V-shaped depending member within said opening and having inclined walls" air-" ranged within the path of travel of said pawls whereby to limit the inward swinging movement of the same, and pivot bolts hav-.

ing heads rotatably supporting said pawls,

bolts and the dove tail connection between 25 the detachable section and the body hold the detachable portion firml in position.

\ "i A. WOODS. 

